Convertible rail-joint structure



1,650,551 MCLEOD THOMSON A CONVERTIBLE ARAIL JOINT STRUCTURE Filed June16. 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 abbot mm1 UNITED STATES y 1,650,551 PATENTOFFICE.

mamon THoiusoN, or ATLANTIC cITY, NEW JERSEY, AssIGNon To THE RAIL JOINTGQMPANY, F NEW YORK, N. Y.,

A CORPORATION oF NEW Yomz.

QONVERTIBLE RIL-JOINT STRUCTURE.

Alpplicatolrled June 16, 1927. Serial No. 199,321.

This invention relates to an improvement in rail joint structures, andmore particularly to a structural formation adapting the joint bar forthe usual flat head-fishing engagement, and also adapting it to functionas a head-freev type of bar wherein the bearing and loading engagementis focused in and at the head fillet lof the rail.

To that end the present invention contemplates what may be termed aconvertible rail 'oint structure which, in its preferred use, llas aninitial head-fishing bearing, and, as wear progresses and the bar isadjusted under the tightening action of high tensile bolts, itultimately assumes and takes a permanent head-free bearing and loadingengagement at the head-fillet of the rail.

Also, the present invention provides a rail joint bar adaptable to tworails of different 20 fishing or to the difference in fishing of a newrail and a worn rail of the same sect-ion.

This assures a proper lit under different conditions of shing.

' A general object of the invention is to provide a convertible railjoint structure satisfactori-l meeting the requirements for an initialcad-fishing bearing preliminary to taking on the desirable. functions ofa headfree rail joint with all of the attendant advantages thereof bothwith res ect to satisfactory maintenance and 4dura ility of the joint.

The special feature of the invention is' necessarily susceptible ofstructural modification without` departing from the spirit or scopethereof, but a preferred and practical embodiment is shown in theaccompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sectional viewillustrating the primary or initial position of the joint bar when it isfirst applied to the rail and takes a Hat fishing engagement with thehead-fishing bearing at the underside of the rail head.

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the ultimate seating of the bar inthe head fillet of the rail, under wear and adjustment, thereby.functioning entirely as a head-free raiBl` joint.

and illustrating by full and dotted lines the progressive actionv of thebar as it is rotated under adjustment from a head-fishing engagement toarail fillet engagement.

to the angle of the head-1ishing surface of re 3 is a cross-sectionalview of a comp ete ra1l joint embodying the invention Figures 4 and 5are a pair of similar views illustrating the adaptability of theconvertible -bar to rails of dierent fishing height.

Similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughoutthe several 1i ures of the drawin s. j

n carrying forwar the present invention no alteration is required intheshape ofthe standard rail designated' in the drawing by the numeral 1and including the usual head 2, the base flange 3 and the connecting web4. The rail head is provided at its underside with the usual flat headfishing surface 5 and at the juncture of such surface with the web ofthe rail the latter is formed with 4the usual rounded fillet 6 which, inthe present invention may be utilized as a bearing socket when thestructure functions as a head-free rail joint of the general typedis'-closed in the reissue patent of W. P. Thomson N o. 15,773, grantedFebruary 19, 1924:. The convertible joint bar havingthe dual functioncontemplated by the present invention is designated generally by thereference letter B and includes as rincipal elements thereof a headmember the foot flange member 8 and the connecting bar. web 9. These arethe usual elements of a joint bar ofthe angle type, and it is thepurpose of the present invention to rovide a joint bar of this type, orof any otlier acceptable type, with bearing elements adapting it for ahead-fishing engagement with the rail, or for a head-fillet engagementwith the rail to provide, in the latter case, a`- head-free type of railjoint. To that end the head member 7 of the joint bar is provided at itsupper face with an inclined flat headfishing bearing 10 whose anglecorresponds the rail head when it engages such surface.

In addition, the said head member 7 of the bar is further rovided, atits inner corner, with the rounded or curved fillet engaging element ofball 10a adapted to have an an- 100 chorage in and against the filletbearing 6 of the rail when the foot of the bar has been rotated aVsufficient distance inward b the tightening ofthe high-tensile joint bots 11 to take up the wear.

In the embodiment of the invention shown kin Figs. 1, 2 and 3 of thedrawings the lower member 8 of the joint bar is shown provided with afiange bearing surface 12 which is adapted, under wear and adjustment,to

move inwardly and upwardly on the rail base flange 3 and as materialwear will occur, in the use of the joint, in and over that portion ofthe rail fiange engaged by the foot member of the joint bar, the latterultimately, as plainly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, will accommodateitself to the wear in the rail base flange so that the fillet engagingelement 10a of the joint bar will firmly seat or anchor itself in thefillet bearing socket 6 of the rail. This makes a headfree rail jointhaving the functions and advantages of that type of joint originatingwith the Thomson reissue patent referred to. Thus, it will be seen thatthe dual characteristic ofv the rail joint bar B renders the sameconvertible from one type of joint to another.

The action of the convertible bar, under the influence of thehigh-tensile bolts 11, is well exemplified in Fig. 3 'of the drawings,wherein the full line positions of the bars show the initial flatfishing engagement thereof respectively with the undersides of the railheads, and the upper sides of the rail fianges, while the two dottedline positions illustrate the progressivemovement of the bars, underwear and adjustment, by a rocking or oscillation inward of the lowerportions of the bar over the rail flanges until the ultimate head-freerail joint results. v

Another phase of the invention, indicating its scope, is thatillustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 of the drawings, showing the joint baradapted to a plurality of rails which may differ in fishing height, orin the an les of the fishing bearin s, or both, or to the ference infishing o a new rail and a worn rail of the same section. To betteradapt the joint bar for that purpose the same is rovided in addition tothe top head-fis ing bearin 10 and the fillet engaging element 10", witha pair `of separate angularly related flange bearing faces 13 and 14formed on the lower side of the bar, and either of which fiange bearingfaces is adapted to have a. fishing engagement with the upper side ofthe ra1l flange, according to the use of the bar. In both Figs. 4 and 5of the drawings the outlines of two rails respectively of differentfishin height and differing in the angles of the shing bearings areshown by full and dotted lines. This is a condition which occurs notonly with new rail, but when a railroad re-rolls some of its rail. Thepresent invention accommodates itself to that condition, and referringto the example shown in Fig. 4 the full line rail is illustrated ashaving the greater fishing height and the dotted line rail as havin thelesser fishing height. Accordingly, in adapting the invention to eitherof these conditions it will be observed that with the full line railshown in Fig. 4 the joint is a headfree joint only, but when the jointbar is used in connection with the dotted line rail of Fig. 4 the barinitially has both headfishing and fillet bearing, and rotates, underwear and adjustment, to a head-free posi- 7U tion.

In Fig. 5 of the drawings the full lines show the rail of the lesserfishing wherein the joint bar has a head-fishing contact initially witha clearance from the rail head fillet. In such use of the bar the sameprogressively rotates, under wear and adjustment, to a head-freeposition. Also, Fig. 5 shows by the dotted line rail a condition wherethe same bar will have a head-free position intially and permanently.

From the foregoing it is thought that the construction and use of theimproved bar as a rail joint structure will now be readily appreciatedby those familiar with the art without further description and it willbe understood that changes in the form, proportion and minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the spirit andscope thereof.

I claim 1. A convertible rail joint structure including the rail havinga head-fishing surface and a bearing-socket at its fillet and a jointbar having a head-fishin bearing adapted to enga e and to be free fromthe head-fishing sur ace of the rail and with a fillet engaging elementadapted to engage said bearin socket.

2. A rai joint structure includin rails 1U" having flat head-fishingbearings an hightensile bolt-clamping means, splice bars having fiathead-fishing bearinvs designed to enga e the flat head-fishing bearingsof the rail eads and also having rail-head bearings conforming incontour to those of the head-fillets of the rails, said high-tensileboltclamping means being adapted to rotate the splice bars out ofcontact with the rail headfishin bearings into contact with theheadfillet arings of the rails and operating thereafter to maintain saidsplice bars in load-bearing contact with said rail headfillet bearin sand out of contact with said fiat head-fis ing bearings.

3. A rail jolnt structure includin rails having flat head-fishingbearings an hightensile bolt-clamping means, splice bars havirig fiathead-fishing bearings designed to a ord loading engagement with thehead- 12b fishing bearings of the rail heads and also having rail-headbearin s conformin in contour to those of the cad-fillets o the rails,said high-tensile bolt-clamping means being designed to rotate thesplice bars out of contact with the flat rail head-fishing bearings intocontact with the head-fillet bearings of the rails and operatinthereafter to maintain -said splice bar 1n loadbearing contact with saidrail head-fillet hearings and out of contact with said flat head-fishingbearings.

4. A rail joint structure includin rails having flat head-fishingbearings an hightensile bolt-clamping' means, splice bars having a Hathead-fishing bearings designed to engage the fiat head-fishing bearingsof the rail heads and also having rail-head bearings conforming incontour to those of the head-fillets of thel rails, said high-tensilebolt-clamping means being designed to rotate the splice bars out ofcontact with the hat rail head-fishing bearings into contact with thehead-fillet bearings of the rails and operating thereafter to maintainsaid splice bars in loading engagement with said rail head-fillet bearins and out of Contact with said Hat head-fishlng bearings.

5. A convertible joint bar provided atits head with a flat head-fishingbearing and with a rounded rail-fillet engaging element, and on itslower member with a pair of separate angularly related flange bearingfaces, each of Whichis adapted to engage the flange of the rail. v

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

MCLEOD THOMSON.

